Postdoc ‘Solving Clashes between Circular and Legal Principles (CIRCLASH)’

We are looking for a postdoc in the field of EU law, sustainability and circularity within the CIRCLASH research project funded by the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). The project’s goal is contribute to a more sustainable and circular society. It explores and resolves legal tensions between circular and legal principles in the context of public procurement. You will play a central part in setting up, performing and coordinating the research, and you will have ample freedom and opportunities for development within an engaging and fun academic setting.

Your job
The Utrecht University School of Law is looking for a postdoc within the NWA-funded research project ‘Governmental Trendsetters: Solving Clashes between Circular and Legal Principles (CIRCLASH)’. The CIRCLASH project contributes to the transition from a linear to a more sustainable and circular society. Its goal is to explore and resolve legal tensions between circular and legal principles in the context of public procurement.

The circular transition is essential for our society, but is not progressing sufficiently. Climate change and resource scarcity require a new approach to (raw) materials, but solutions often prove ineffective. Public procurement, accounting for more than 86 billion euros in the Netherlands and 14-19% of the EU GDP, can play a key role in this transition. Governments can leverage their purchasing power to transform market production processes through circular procurement. By applying circular principles (such as re-design, re-pair, re-fuse, and re-cycle), governments can both meet societal needs and support this transition. However, implementation remains limited. An underexplored aspect is that public procurement is heavily regulated to promote market integration and competition, rather than circularity. This project investigates how these rules impact circular procurement (and whether law acts as a barrier or not) and proposes solutions to legal tensions in legislation and practice.

Within the context of CIRCLASH’s postdoc position, you:

• play a central part in setting up and conducting the research;
• are given ample freedom to choose the direction of the project in close collaboration with the project lead, and are given opportunities to grow as an academic;
• coordinate the activities within CIRCLASH, including the involvement of external stakeholders;
• are given time and support to apply for future funding opportunities.

Requirements:

• A completed or approved PhD in European law, or a part of the dissertation has a strong European law focus;
• knowledge of European public procurement law or circularity-related law is an asset, but not required;
• demonstrable affinity with sustainability transitions, including circularity;
• a strong interest in collaborating with societal stakeholders, such as governments, market actors, and civil society;
• strong written communication skills in English - proficiency in Dutch is an asset, but not required;
• curiosity, analytical thinking, and team spirit are key qualities.

Salary Benefits:

• A temporary job for 20 months;
• a working week of 32 hours and a gross monthly salary of €4,537 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 11 step 0 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

32 hours per week

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